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Having launched back in April amid a storm of media interest, the new innovative music talent platform, Salute Music Makers, has just a few days left before entries for this year close with the date being set at Midnight on August 13th. From this point no further sign ups will be taken and the competition will move onto the all-important, ‘listening phase’, whereby curators and music industry experts will evaluate, then judge all Music Makers with the aim of narrowing down the talent pool to a top 100 most promising songwriters.

Since the initial April 27th sign up date, the Salute team, spearheaded by legendary Undertones front-man, Feargal Sharkey, have been inundated with great UK talent covering all genres and are now preparing for the next stage which will see their dedicated and experienced team of curators pick out music makers with the most potential, culminating in an unprecedented no-strings-attached £50,000 prize.

Since opening, Salute Music Makers has seen a wide range of genres represented, as was always their intention, with hip-hop accounting for 20% of the total entries, pop 16%, singer-songwriter 14%, rock 13% and indie 10%.

In addition, in terms of age demographics, the younger generations have seen the most pick up, with a huge 83% of contestants coming from the 16-34 category, thus showing that there is a youth-led hunger for song writing and fountain of talent available in the UK today. However, there has been a noticeable disparity between genders applying for the Salute Music Makers Competition. With just 19% of entries being female, Salute are keen to find out why this is.

Renowned female producer and songwriter, Dee Adam, who has been recruited as a member of Salute’s curator panel, was keen to comment on the findings: “I am surprised and a little sad that so few girls have entered the competition, especially knowing how many talented female songwriters there are in the UK. Girls need to be heard and in an industry that is heavily dominated by males, it is telling that women still feel subservient and attitudes are still in the dark ages. There any still SO many challenges and barriers for women in the industry to break through or feel comfortable participating in a competition of this kind. It’s time for us to makes a difference!“

Feargal Sharkey also commented that: “From the beginning of the Salute Music Makers’ journey, diversity and opportunity has always been at the heart of our vision – whether that be in style of music, age or gender – we aim to be inclusive of all. We know that there is just as much female talent out there as male and we want to provide a platform for showcasing this talent, so don’t be shy if you think you have a killer track – £50,000 is at stake!“

About Salute:

Entrants to the Salute Music Makers competition stand the chance of winning £50,000 in cash, while the other five shortlisted finalists will each receive a £10,000 cash prize, no strings attached. The Salute competition reflects the dramatic changes in the way new music is written, recorded and shared. Recent advancements in music technology enable music makers to create music almost anytime, anywhere and the quality of organic, original music emerging from home studios has never been higher and is constantly evolving. Now is the perfect time to provide a platform for this talent by launching a competition that salutes the DIY generation of music makers.

Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers will release “The Long-Awaited Album” on Rounder Records/Decca Records on 22nd September. “The Long-Awaited Album,” Martin’s newest collaboration with the Grammy-winning North Carolina-based band the Steep Canyon Rangers, is full of stories that mix humour and melancholy, whimsy and realism, rich characters and concrete details. And lots of banjos.

That instrument – so dexterously, even acrobatically picked and strummed – is just as crucial to relating these new tales as the lyrics themselves, each chord and riff revealing new depths to Martin’s narrators and to his musical talent. Produced by Peter Asher, the new album is a collection of 14 stunning new songs including the boisterous and humorous new track “Caroline,” the deeply romantic tune “All Night Long,” and the fantastical song “Santa Fe,” which showcases the lively dynamic between Martin and the Rangers.

Steve Martin’s musical career is an extension of the storytelling impulse that drove his work as a comedian, an actor, a screenwriter, a playwright, an essayist, and a novelist. The Grammy Award winning musician found his love for the banjo at the age of 17 and originally used the instrument as part of his stand-up comedy routine. But in 2010, Martin released his first album, The Crow: New Songs for the 5-Strong Banjo, and since then, Martin has played many prestigious stages including Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, Stagecoach, Bonnaroo, New Orleans’ Jazzfest and The Newport Folk Festival, Royal Festival Hall in London, and the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Martin released his second full-length bluegrass album Rare Bird Alert in 2011. The album featured 13 Martin-penned tracks as well as special guest vocal appearances by Paul McCartney and The Dixie Chicks. Additionally, Martin co-wrote two of the CD’s songs with the Steep Canyon Rangers. That year, Martin also won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year Award.

Martin also collaborated with Edie Brickell on the critically acclaimed album Love Has Come For You, which combines Martin’s five-string banjo work with Brickell’s vivid vocals. Martin and Brickell took home the Grammy Award for “Best American Roots Song” for the album’s title track. Martin and Brickell’s second collaboration “So Familiar” earned widespread critical acclaim and also inspired the Broadway musical Bright Star, which was nominated for five Tony Awards.

The Steep Canyon Rangers and Steve Martin will host their album release celebration on Saturday at The IBMA World of Bluegrass – in the state where it all began for them.

Comprised of fierce front woman Hope Vista and guitarist Greg Almeida, VISTA is keeping their momentum alive with their brand new dystopian-themed sophomore EP “Long Live” which was released on the 21st July. Combining both arena and electronic influences to define their anthem rock sound, “Long Live” lyrically focuses mainly on forming an allegiance and finding an ‘oasis’ in a dystopian society. The EP’s concept was designed to mirror current political world events.

The 7 song tracklist includes previously released singles “Henchmen” and “Allegiance” as well as a new version of vocalist Hope Vista’s 2015 solo single “Dominance.” With this record cycle, VISTA also introduces the creation of The Oasis, a metaphorical safe haven for listeners to find comfort in through the band’s music and live shows. Talking about the EP, the band states:

“Growing into our sophomore release, we wanted to expand on our simpler beginnings and create a brand, instead of just being a band. The concept for ‘Long Live’ really stemmed from “Henchmen,” which focused on the idea of fighting against the face of oppression in a politically polarizing society. The words “long live” fight against the image of an apocalypse and also mirror where VISTA currently stands. ‘Long Live’ is the product of a lot of frustration and the examination of current events with one goal; to create a sound and concept that has both flare and remarkable depth. The result is something we are immensely proud of and put forward into the world with hopes that we can all fight against the grain in an increasing dystopian society.”

Conceived in late 2015, VISTA released their debut 4-track EP “VERSUS” shortly after, in which their debut single “On The Brink” debuted worldwide on idobi radio. Their name hasn’t been shy in the press since; the band has garnered praise from outlets such as Alternative Press, Rock Sound, Substream, and AXS. Since the start of 2017, VISTA has supported Fueled By Ramen artist Against The Current at Irving Plaza, sold out their first two headlining shows, was named one of “100 Women Kicking Ass In Music” by Alternative Press, and gained rotation on idobi with their January single “Henchmen,” an anti-oppression anthem. “Long Live” serves as VISTA’s sophomore EP, and the band will embark on their first headlining tour in August to promote.

Multi-instrumentalist and producer extraordinaire, John Dylan, has had music running through his veins before he was even born, his parents playing the likes of Elvis Costello, Bob Marley and Stevie Ray Vaughn whilst he was still in the womb. But now, after previously having exhibited his work through the vehicle of the genre-defying band Terrene, (who had their record produced by Phil Ek: The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Built to Spill), John has now gone solo, bearing the load on his reliable talents as a songwriter.

With the uniquely named Peripheral Drift Illusion album in the pipeline, John is releasing the record’s first single, ‘Get Beyond’; a spacey, effects-laden piece of shoegaze-pop that owes much of its style to the classic sounds of bands like the Beatles, a major inspiration for John. Dreamy vocals combine with a bright, bouncing guitar riff that drifts effortlessly over a wah-fuelled bass line, before wading through a sludge of distortion. As a result, John takes us on a sonic odyssey that stops off at almost every genre and style on the way.

To confine Dylan’s eclectic stylings to a single genre, or compare him to a single band would be a near impossible task. With a life revolving around music, John has formed some unique standpoints when it comes to his work. For example, whilst he may be considered a ‘rock’ artist, John enjoys flipping analog rock aesthetics on their head, using a completely digital workflow. Also, for each single, John is embracing his counterparts in the hip-hop, dance and electronic cultures by allowing the songs to be ‘open sourced’, holding a remix competition for DJs and other electronic artists to sample and rework his songs, with the chance of appearing on the widely released version of the single.

John was recently diagnosed with a chronic anxiety disorder, but in spite of this, he uses it as fuel for writing his songs. Although it can be difficult to deal with, John notes that “there are hopeful moments in the form of songs like ‘Get Beyond’, where I encourage myself to get out of bed and come out of hiding into the world. ‘Get Beyond’ was written after a string of bad events in my life – I got laid off from work, my car stolen, my house robbed and my house entered foreclosure proceedings. I realized these were hard things to go through, but they boiled down to material concerns and my ego was choosing to take all of these things personally.”

Although John takes inspiration from a wide range of sources such as Nirvana, My Bloody Valentine and The Beatles, his style draws similarities with the likes of The Flaming Lips and Tame Impala. Back in the mid-90s, John was involved with underground math-rock band, Mars Accelerator, who played alongside Modest Mouse and released an album with the help of Steve Fisk, who coincidentally, had worked with Nirvana. In the past, John has also supported experimental outfit, Of Montreal, and the artwork for Peripheral Drift Illusion is being created by John Lennon’s bandmate, Klaus Voormann, who also designed the cover for the Beatles’ classic record, Revolver.

Dylan can be considered the complete musician, playing all the instruments and singing on his records: “Through the influx of things I go through in life, I try to reverberate them right back out of my body, by playing drums, or guitar, or bass, or singing. Or if I need to change where I’m at in my head, the headphones come on, and I can feel the ground move beneath my feet.”

Following the success of their debut album ‘Empty Rooms’ which was released last month, Halflives have just announced a handful of live dates for their UK headline tour in July. Being fortunate enough to review the album ahead of its release in April, I was completely taken in by Linda’s vocals and the amount of emotion that was portrayed through out the album, and I found it to be very captivating. This is certainly true of tracks such as ‘Echo’ and ‘Burn’ which are really catchy and I remember thinking how easy it was to imagine these being performed and sounding great live. And what’s even better is with Halflives announcing their headlining tour, I no longer need to imagine and can now experience it first hand.

So, if like me you’re always on the lookout for something new to tantalise your ear buds then I would recommend giving Halflives a spin. From the first listen it was guaranteed to be on repeat, and in actual fact it was the only album I listened to for 3 days straight.

Since discovering Inglorious last year I have been keeping a close eye on the band for a while. Or should I say, following religiously. The first time I heard the band was during the release of their single Unaware and I was immediately hooked and became an instant fan. Discovering new music is always great no matter at which point you find yourself connecting with a band or artist, but it’s always nice when you catch them right from the start so you can follow the journey together. It has to be said that I was very glad to have caught these guys from their first album.

Their self-titled debut album ‘Inglorious’ was released almost a year ago, and they have since spent time touring the UK and Europe and heading over state-side, as well as performing at festivals including Download Festival, Planet Rockstock and Ramblin’ Man Fair, and generally building a name for themselves. Unfortunately in December the band announced that guitarist Wil Taylor would be parting ways with the band, but we now see the return of Drew Lowe who was the original guitarist.

Pushing forward, Inglorious have now released details of their eagerly anticipated second studio album ‘Inglorious II’ which is set for release on the 12th May 2017. For me, the first album has become a staple in my collection, and already boasts the sound of an established classic rock band, so I’m keen to hear what’s in store for the next album.

The first single to be released from the album is ‘Read All About It’, which upon first listen still brings us those ballsy vocals from Nathan along with their signature premium riffage, but with a slightly paced sound than expected it’s more of a grower. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great release and I’m enjoying listening to it daily, but if my gut tells me anything then I know there’s more instore from the rest of the album.

Pre-orders are now available for ‘Inglorious II’ and you’ll be guranteed to get ‘Read All About It’ as a download before the album is released. This digital world we live in does wonders for our instant listening pleasures doesn’t it? You can also snag yourself a few other goodies too, including signed albums, vinyls, and DVD copies of their full set from Download Festival 2016.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… well, there might be a few snow flurries passing by as I write this, but I’m not talking about ‘that’ season – I’m talking about festival season! With the arrival of so many festival announcements pouring in at the moment, event calendars are filling up fast and you might be struggling to decide which festivals to attend.

Well here’s a little helping hand. Have you ever thought about volunteering at a festival? It’s a great way to get involved, meet new people, make friends, and enjoy great experiences. And what’s even better is that you get to soak up all this excitement for FREE.

Hotbox Events are the recruiters for volunteers at a number of UK festivals, and they have just opened up their applications for Download, Reading and Leeds, V and Latitude. As a volunteer you’ll play a big role in supporting the great atmosphere around the festivals in helping festival-goers with anything from directions, luggage, handing out wristbands and checking tickets, stewarding, or helping find the way back to campsite.

Each volunteer is required to work a shift pattern, but when you’re not required to be on shift you can enjoy the festival at your own leisure. As part of the application process you are required to pay a deposit, which is refunded to you in full once festival season is over, but there is only one deposit required whether you want to volunteer at one festival or four! You can even make a group application if fancy volunteering with your mates.

Sound interesting? I thought so. Well, check out the Hotbox Events website for full terms and conditions, and information on how to apply.